Tempe, AZ Implant Dental Near You

Tempe Smile DesignAppointments: (480) 829-8200

Stacy Tracy D.D.S.

Tempe Smile Design

You're unique, and you deserve quality, individualized care. Dr. Stacy Tracy believes your dental experience should blend the best of the personal and the professional. At Tempe Smile Design in the Tempe, Arizona area, we take the time to get to know you and understand your dental needs. Dr. Tracy and her staff are dedicated to providing you with top-quality dental care designed exclusively for you.

As your child's permanent teeth grow in, Tempe area dentist Dr. Stacy Tracy can help seal out decay by applying a thin wash of resin to your child's back teeth, where most chewing occurs. Dr. Tracy stresses the importance of this treatment, as this sealant provides a protective coating that keeps bacteria from settling in the hard-to-reach crevices of your child's molars.

One of the first things people notice is your smile. All it takes is a single appointment or two with Tempe area dentist Stacy Tracy, D.D.S., and you, too, can have the winning, healthy-looking smile you've always wanted. The beautiful cosmetic results you'll get from Tempe Smile Design can be immediate and dramatic!

Would you like your smile to be a bit brighter than it is right now? We can make it happen at Tempe Smile Design, with professional tooth whitening for brighter natural looking teeth. Dr. Stacy Tracy's Tempe, AZ area office can effectively lighten your stained or discolored tooth enamel. Whiter teeth not only look great, they improve your self-confidence.

Removable braces are almost invisible and you can take them out to eat and brush your teeth. If you want braces that are effective, but can be conveniently taken out for certain occasions, Tempe area braces dentist Dr. lastname may suggest that removable braces are the best option for you.

Learn About Conventional Over-Denture

A conventional over-denture rests over some healthy natural tooth roots. This approach was first reported in 1861. To understand this method, it is necessary to review some facts.

An Overview of Alveolar Ridge Dynamics

Maintaining a denture on the jawbone ridge (called alveolar ridge) is essential to prevent it from becoming loose during eating, speaking, and other activities.

Preserving the alveolar ridge facilitates denture stability.

The body tends to conserve energy and nutrients by maintaining only structures with apparent immediate value. A typical example is the bulk reduction of a broken leg held immobile by a full-leg cast for a month or more.

The body recognizes that the only one purpose for alveolar bone is to hold tooth roots.

Alveolar bone no longer supporting a tooth root is removed, or literally dissolved away, by the body. This is called resorption, or simply shrinkage.

Resorption progresses at varying rates in the same person at different times, and at different rates between different people. Resorption progresses rapidly within the first year of losing a tooth, after which time, the rate progresses at a slower pace.

From this overview, if the maximum amount of alveolar ridge is to be maintained, then preserving the maximum number of periodontally healthy tooth roots should achieve that end.

Preserving the Sensation of Having Teeth

Studies demonstrate that even though only roots are preserved, and a denture covers them, a patient still has sensory input sensations similar to that experienced with teeth, as opposed to individuals with conventional dentures and no preserved roots. Over-denture patients also appear to have a more natural perceived directional sense in their chewing activities. In other words, many patients relate that they still feel like they have teeth -- a positive comment.

Underlying Philosophy of the Conventional Over-Denture

If a patient's treatment plan to have a denture, and the roots of some remaining teeth are supported in healthy alveolar bone, then a conventional over-denture is a viable consideration.

However, only a licensed dentist can determine if a conventional over-denture is a suitable consideration for a certain person, after a comprehensive examination.

Some Characteristics of a Conventional Over-Denture

Most of a tooth crown (that part of the tooth above the gums) is removed. This often necessitates root canal therapy if not already done.

The remaining tooth, projecting above the gum, is rounded and usually covered with a similarly shaped artificial crown-like covering.

Various configurations and extensions may be built onto some retained roots. In those cases, that portion of the denture overlying these configurations is modified to contain attachments that clip onto a framework or receive the individual extensions. In addition to preserving alveolar bone and sensory input, the denture is held securely in place, but may be comfortably and easily removed for cleaning.

Advantages of a Conventional Over-Denture

Feels more like having teeth

More retentive in many cases

Helps reduce shrinkage of surrounding bone

Reduces pressure to portions of the alveolar ridge

Positive psychological advantage of still having teeth

Disadvantages of a Conventional Over-Denture

Scrupulous oral hygiene is essential in order to prevent decay and gum disease

The over-denture may feel bulkier than a conventional denture

Frequent maintenance examinations are necessary

Generally, this is a more expensive approach than a conventional denture

by Joseph J. Massad, D.D.S.

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Metal Based Denture vs Plastic - Which is Best for You?

A metal-based denture is one in which a portion of the denture body is made of a substantial metal casting rather than all plastic (acrylic resin). This procedure is usually done on the lower denture.

There are two types of metal-based dentures.

Standard metal-based denture

The metal base portion of the denture is in direct contact with underlying supporting tissues.

The base is fabricated from a special medical grade alloy that is hypoallergenic and very biocompatible with tissues. Generally, tissues in contact with this type of material are very healthy in appearance.

Modified metal-based denture

The metal base portion of the denture is not in direct contact with underlying supporting tissues. A soft or hard plastic liner may be interposed between the metal and supporting tissues.

A soft liner is generally preferred to hard plastic since it is more comfortable to wear; however, the soft liner usually should be replaced on an annual basis.

The Rationale for a Metal-Based Denture

Facilitates the avoidance of disruptive forces

Sometimes it is necessary to construct a very narrow denture in order to avoid any structures that would loosen the prosthesis, such as muscles flexing, and so forth. In addition, necessary surgical procedures to reposition a muscle attachment (called a frenum) can sometimes be avoided with these narrow type dentures.

However, such narrow dentures are weak and tend to break quite easily when fabricated just from plastic. A metal base provides the needed strength to design a very narrow denture in order to follow the confines of a patient's lower resorbed alveolar ridge (the remaining bony ridge). In addition, the metal base provides long-term dimensional stability and strength that is not enjoyed with an all-plastic denture base.

Provides a more natural feeling

The added weight of the metal base provides a more natural perception for many patients. Many patients prefer the additional weight on the lower jaw.

A private study measured the actual weight of cadaver jaw ridges and teeth that would normally be lost after the extraction of teeth and associated natural shrinkage of the jawbones. It was found that the weight of these tissues closely approximated the weight of a metal base. Therefore, it is likely that the more natural feeling perceived by persons wearing metal-based dentures is probably real rather than imagined.

The additional weight of a metal base also contributes to lower denture stability by causing the denture to settle down onto a jaw ridge.

Advantages of Metal-Based Dentures

Very biocompatible and hypoallergenic with healthy-appearing supporting tissues